Contemporary Style

Contemporary Style

This is a style which refers to a movement which emerged in England after the World War 2. It is also known as Festival style, New English style and as South Bank style. Architecture, design and art were two major things in which this movement specialized in. The Britain Festival was what popularized this style, which was held in 1951. Promoters of this style used to combine organic shapes along bright colours in their work. They also exploited technology to attempt to make their work accessible as possible. Furniture that they were producing at that time was very light in weight and more vivid than furniture which had been made for modernism before the war. They were making use of pale timbers and thin metal rods. On textiles, upholstery and wallpaper prints of two dimensional patterns were being printed. Designers made 3D models which were representing the molecular structures in science labs to symbolize contemporary design. 

This style features softened and rounded lines. Interiors usually contain neutral elements and bold colours, while focusing more on the basics of lines, shapes and forms. Interior decorators normally use tone on tone colour palettes, focusing more on taupe, creams, browns and whites. Colours are sometimes painted on a single wall, in a stunning wall rug or in a special art piece.

Furniture pieces are designed with clean lines and smooth surfaces without any decoration or designs on them, making use of slim outlines without being fragile. Normally materials are mostly light coloured wood, like beech, brich and maple, because the wood grain is very minimal. Clear glass, chrome, nickel and stainless steel are also used for furniture.

When it is a must to use fabrics, they need to be nice and very good materials, like linen, cotton, silk and wool. These materials are normally used for their textural features and natural hues. Geometric patterns and bold colors are also used in the designs and may be on pillows or rugs.

In lighting design is used to make an artistic statement in an interior which has a contemporary theme. Lights are used in various parts of the home to make it more comfortable and welcoming. Lights on floors and table lamps ae usually designed using simple straight lines and sleek shiny finishes. Lighting may be used to make a hierarchy for a wall hanging artowork or any other artwork which may be placed in ones home.

References

Bhaskaran, L. (2005). Designs of the times. Mies: RotoVision.

HGTV gives the details on contemporary decor | Interior Design Styles and Color Schemes for Home Decorating | HGTV. 2015. HGTV gives the details on contemporary decor | Interior Design Styles and Color Schemes for Home Decorating | HGTV. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/design-101/contemporary-style-101. [Accessed 31 January 2015].

contemporary lighting | Niche Modern Lighting - Part 9. 2015. contemporary lighting | Niche Modern Lighting - Part 9. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.nichemodern.com/blog/tag/contemporary-lighting/page/9/. [Accessed 31 January 2015].

Angharad McLaren’s textiles | Yatzer. 2015. Angharad McLaren’s textiles | Yatzer. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.yatzer.com/Angharad-McLaren-s-textiles. [Accessed 31 January 2015].

Modern Design of Contemporary Furniture, Decoration of the home - Home Ornaments. 2015. Modern Design of Contemporary Furniture, Decoration of the home - Home Ornaments. [ONLINE] Available at:http://homeornaments.com/contemporary-furniture/. [Accessed 31 January 2015].

Cozy and Contemporary Design in Apartment, The Matsuki Residence - Living room » Viahouse.Com. 2015. Cozy and Contemporary Design in Apartment, The Matsuki Residence - Living room » Viahouse.Com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.viahouse.com/2010/11/cozy-and-contemporary-design-in-apartment-the-matsuki-residence/cozy-and-contemporary-design-in-apartment-the-matsuki-residence-living-room/. [Accessed 31 January 2015].